Erick:

Dear 911 HAF Friends,
After constantly moving around for almost 10 years, life has taken me to California where I found not only a possibility for a better future, but I was also fortunate to find a second family in the 9-11 Help America Foundation. Back in 2003, I made the decision to join the Marines as a way to better help me organized my life. At the time, I was a student working a full-time job, however I had no sense of direction about what I wanted to do with my future. My journey in the Marines started in Cherry Point, NC with CSSD- 21. In 2005, eight marines, including me, received the orders to be attached and deploy with CLB-2, a unit based in Camp Lejeune, to support OIF.

While serving as an active duty marine, I had the opportunity to make some long lasting friendships since my first day in Parris Island during boot camp training. Moreover, I am thankful because it open to door to the biggest fraternity of all; the brotherhood that every military men/women shared and reflects the instant connection when meeting for the first time. After four years of service, I decided that a new chapter had to be written in my life, so I went back to school, this time as a full-time student. Half way through my degree, I got the opportunity to transfer to Orange County, CA to finish up a dual degree in Film and Business. Now, it is my personal goal to visually convey the message of thankfulness towards our men/women in uniform, inform society about the issues that they encounter adapting to society after their time in service, and to find ways to improve their quality of life.